1976 Pontiac Sunbird TC

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Re: 1976 Pontiac Sunbird TC

Postby Vegabee » Sun Apr 24, 2016 11:05 pm

Thats looking good,same color and gloss from the pic.
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Re: 1976 Pontiac Sunbird TC

Postby RedFiveKBS » Mon Apr 25, 2016 3:28 pm

Vegabee wrote:Thats looking good,same color and gloss from the pic.


Thanks! I thought I would have to clear coat it but the specifically told me not to clear it. I'm very happy with the results.
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Re: 1976 Pontiac Sunbird TC

Postby RedFiveKBS » Sat Apr 30, 2016 6:38 pm

I was bored this morning so I figured I'd do some cleaning.

The engine compartment had a coating of dirt and grease. Some places it was so thick that I used a putty knife to clean off part.
before.jpg

Used some good degreaser, a stiff brush, and hosed it off.
after.jpg

Looks much better but still needs some work.
after2.jpg
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Re: 1976 Pontiac Sunbird TC

Postby RedFiveKBS » Thu May 05, 2016 9:03 am

Last weekend was a dreary and overcast day. It gave me a chance to wash and wax the car between the rain drops.
sunb2.jpg

sunb1.jpg
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Re: 1976 Pontiac Sunbird TC

Postby RedFiveKBS » Fri May 06, 2016 9:32 pm

I was out travelling for work all week and got home really late Thursday (actually 1:30am Friday) but I was happy to see some parts came while I was out.

The car came with these really crappy plastic trim rings. They would pop off if you hit a hard bump and the "chrome" was flaking off. I had considered getting some new ABS plastic ones for $40 or so but I figured they'd still look like crap. I had been watching for a nice set on eBay for a while when a vintage set came up last week. They were $100 and had a few dings but they cleaned up really nice and look way better than the plastic ones.

sunb1a.jpg
sunb1.jpg


I also learned that other GM cars used the same door escutcheons as our H-Bodies. Picked up a set off of eBay for $29 delivered. They are not a solid one piece design like the originals. The black part and the chrome part are actually two different pieces that were fused together. Once installed, you cannot tell that they are not a single piece.
sunb2.jpg
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Re: 1976 Pontiac Sunbird TC

Postby RedFiveKBS » Sat May 07, 2016 9:16 pm

Another weekend, another project. This wasn't fully planned but I am glad I did it. I originally planned to just pull out the clock to see if I could fix it. After I realized it would take more than I wanted to do to get the clock out I looked at the dash. It came with this ugly dash cover. Under the cover the dash pad was complete but badly sun faded and covered with Velcro and the glue from the Velcro strips.
before-1.jpg
dash1.jpg

After asking some questions on Facebook, it was pretty easy to pull the pad out of the car. Just 8 or so screws at the bottom and a few in the top.
dash2.jpg

It took a lot of Goo Gone and some acetone to clean all the glue residue off of the dash pad and the metal part of the dash in the car.
dash4.jpg

I used the SEM products again on the pad like I used on the kick panels. The soap and cleaner seemed to really pull off the last bits of stuff. Followed the cleaning with the adhesion promoter and about five coats of SEM Firethorn.
dash5.jpg

I also used some the SEM low luster clear coat over the pad once the final coat of paint was applied.
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Re: 1976 Pontiac Sunbird TC

Postby RedFiveKBS » Sat May 07, 2016 9:25 pm

The dash pad went back in just as easy as it came out.
dash8a.jpg
dash8.jpg

I even spent some time with a silver paint marker fixing all the narrow silver lines on the dash. It looks so much better than before. :D
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Re: 1976 Pontiac Sunbird TC

Postby rm617 » Sat May 07, 2016 10:02 pm

:th: :shock: :dance: What a difference!!! Looks great!! :th: :th: :th:
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Re: 1976 Pontiac Sunbird TC

Postby RedFiveKBS » Sat May 07, 2016 11:35 pm

rm617 wrote::th: :shock: :dance: What a difference!!! Looks great!! :th: :th: :th:

Thanks, Ron! Are you going to the Lordstown show in a couple weeks?
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Re: 1976 Pontiac Sunbird TC

Postby rm617 » Sun May 08, 2016 6:47 am

RedFiveKBS wrote:Thanks, Ron! Are you going to the Lordstown show in a couple weeks?

I'm not sure yet, maybe.
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Re: 1976 Pontiac Sunbird TC

Postby zeke » Sun May 08, 2016 8:46 am

Major improvement! :th: Carpet belongs on the floor. :wink:
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Re: 1976 Pontiac Sunbird TC

Postby RedFiveKBS » Sun May 08, 2016 9:13 pm

zeke wrote:Major improvement! :th: Carpet belongs on the floor. :wink:

Amen, Zeke! I hated that thing!
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Re: 1976 Pontiac Sunbird TC

Postby Monza Harry » Sun May 08, 2016 9:14 pm

I agree with all the positivity above! Harry
I'm not a hoarder I'm a preservationist 78 Monza Spyder (~Soon(ish +/- I guess) To Be 2+2 with Spoilers)
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Re: 1976 Pontiac Sunbird TC

Postby RedFiveKBS » Sun May 08, 2016 9:42 pm

This is where it all began. This is my old High School car from 1990ish. It ran between 14:20 and 14:40 most of the time. Best time in this trim was 14:11 @ 102
Old Sunbird 1.JPG

We later cut it up a bit, added a 12-bolt, full cage, and frame rails.
Old Sunbird 10008.JPG

I painted the car in the garage. It wasn't the greatest job but for not having any experience I think it was OK. :th:
Old Sunbird 10010.JPG

If you look close, You'll see the little 327 emblem over the front marker lights. These stayed with the car from the beginning. :D

I missed this car but forgot how rough it was. It was a great learning experience for me. I wish I had kept it as it was in High School and held on to it. I didn't enjoy the car as much after it was cut up. Lessons learned. I am fortunate to have the same car now but one that is in much better condition. The interesting thing is this car is virtually identical to my new car. Both 1976 formal window cars with the V6 automatic and both were originally silver. The old car had an all black velour interior whereas the new one is Firethorn vinyl. I wish I had the VIN from the old one to see how close it was to the new one on the assembly line. It would be amazing if they were built really close together in the factory.

I never plan to turn the new one into a full race car. This one will be kept stock in appearance but I'm waffling on motors and direction now.

Option one: Pull the V6 and rebuild it and put it back in as a restoration. The car is pretty complete and they are near impossible to find complete and not already cut up. It does have some issues in the floor and underneath in the rear. The quarters are solid as are the doors. They do need attention but they are very good.

Option two: I still have the 327 from the High School car. It spun a bearing and was pulled out so it would need a new crank (which isn't cheap) and a rebuild. I'd replace the heads as they were cast iron boat anchors with no accessory mounting holes. It would be kind of cool to have the same engine that I had in High School in this car. It would be enough power to be fun but not too radical. Maybe change the transmission from a TH350 to a 700R4 for the OD.
Old Sunbird 10001.JPG

Option three: The original plan was to do a crate LS3 motor with either 430hp or 480hp. The complete motor and transmission is between $10k and $12k depending on options. It would be pretty awesome in the power range but I worry about blowing the rear to bits and I really don't want to put a bigger rear in it or go away from the torque arm set up. The price is high too.

What do you guys think? What direction would you go?

Thanks!
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Re: 1976 Pontiac Sunbird TC

Postby SOLSAKS » Thu May 12, 2016 1:39 pm

great work
car looks great
SEM products are fantastic
you used them well
for perfect results.
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